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NZPAF DH.9 (Wingnut Wings)


seiran01

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There has been a LOT of talk about Wingnut Wings Sopwith Camels of late, so instead of jumping right into the dromedary build (I have multiple in the stash already), I've started the DH.9. This particular bird likely had a rather unsightly hump at one point in its life- for passengers. It will be built as the bonus scheme in the WNW kit - a New Zealand Permanent Air Force bird.
 
The DH.9s gifted to NZ post-war ended up being converted for passenger use with a few variations - some with exposed "cockpits" for 2 passengers and others with an enclosed cabin for 2-3 people behind the pilot. After a few years of civil use, they were converted back to approximate original design to serve with the NZPAF. I suspect the specific aircraft in the kit may be a DH.9 that had its fuselage painted with wavy yellow and red stripes but I can't find my photos of that plane at the moment.
 
So far I've cleaned up mold seams and made a few modifications. Photos show this dh9 unarmed so I've removed the molded-on gunsights from the top cowl and filled the shell chutes on the left fuselage side and slot for the interrupter pump fairing on the underside. By extension, the interrupter gear pump has been removed and I've opted to have the camera mounts fully removed as well.

 

 

3D2D48DA-53B3-498C-9711-0FA9BE3B33D5_zps

 

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Here's the bird in question, after modification back to a military aircraft. Sitting with two of NZPAF's gifted DH.4s

 

03A8D6A8-F35E-4C4D-8078-214CF58E5C2A_zps

 

 

And the royal review! Territorial Air Force lineup of 3 Bristol Fighters, 2 DH.9, 2 DH.4, and 5 Avro 504ks

683E9E00-1080-44DC-BBA1-2091FF9EA132_zps

 

This bird seems to be the rarest of the converted passenger DH.9s that flew in NZ, judging by how long it took me to rediscover this photo.  Original photo caption in the book I can't find (and fear I donated!) stated red and yellow-striped fuselage.
6EA40E4F-983D-49F2-B64E-4983D7524FDF_zps
 

Same plane from the other side. It seems as though one passenger sat in front of the pilot, and one behind...
1E012EF2-689B-4CA0-A417-8160CC66DDAC_zps

 

Another NZ passenger DH.9 variant that is fairly well documented.
B8922C40-EF34-44BF-99CE-27E3BE73B98C_zps
 

 

Ok, kiwi DH.4 not a DH.9, but standing on the exhaust stack to refuel just doesn't seem like a very smart thing to do!

E23F3349-AFFD-4CCE-90D5-44AB887FB164_zps

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Wood Grain has begun!

I'm testing out Dave Johnson's new method of wood grain that he used on his superb WNW Camel build (see March 2017 Military Illustrated Modeller for his full build). The grain is simply Mig/AK/Ammo streaking rust used in place of an oil, over Mr. Color C.19 Sandy Brown.  I've used Streaking Grime as I don't have Streaking Rust on hand, it's a little darker and less red.

 

The fuselage side wood panels are finished and I'm VERY pleased with the result. The massive benefit of the enamel streaking effect over using oils is the drying time. I had a good 4-5 minutes to work with the grain, and after 20min or so, it was dry to the touch. No more waiting days for oils to dry!

 

B9E41807-7C63-42B4-BB42-8F23B20F6133_zps

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Thanks guys. Aside from realizing I missed painting the rudder pedals and fuel pump props (oops!), everything that should be wood grain has been painted.

 

Clearcoats to varnish (some with a hint of clear red and some a hint of clear orange) will follow.

 

Dry-fit of unvarnished "wood" looks good to me!

2B06D786-FBFA-4F19-93A2-989C6B17D306_zps

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Question for anyone somewhat familiar with the DH.9 - what colour should the fuel tank be? The instructions call out linen as the colour but I'm thinking it's got to be either brass or painted battleship grey. The DH.9a has the tank painted battleship grey.

Thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...

Amazing what the camera can see - I bet it doesn't show when you look at the actual plastic. 

 

This is great, I'm learning a lot to try when I next tackle some wood.

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